Meet The 11 Super Rich Donors Who Are Bankrolling The GOP Race

Behind every 2012 presidential candidate, there is a millionaire or billionaire holding the purse strings to the campaign's war chest.

Relaxation of campaign finance laws has given rise to a new class of super-donors who are now acting as kingmakers in this year's presidential election.

It's an elite club that includes Wall Street titans, Texas oil tycoons, billionaire tech execs, and an outspoken evangelical mutual fund manager, all of whom have given $1 million or more to support Republican SuperPACs. According to the Washington Post, these sugar daddies have forked over a combined $54 million so far this election cycle, helping bankroll an onslaught of negative attacks that have made this year's Republican primary one of bloodiest in recent memory.

Needless to say, these emergent power players now wield an outsized influence over presidential politics. Their ability to tap into vast fortunes — and their willingness to do it over and over again — is reshaping campaign finance, and helping to decide who stays and who goes in the 2012 race.

We've combed through federal finance reports and this AP analysis to find the biggest — and most interesting — benefactors for each of the candidates.